Synthwave Sunday: GosT, Possessor

There’s a reason metalheads are so taken with synthwave, and GosT is the prime example of why: sure, keyboards and electronic beats aren’t metal in the purest sense, but good god is this shit heavy.

On GosT’s latest album, Possessor, the Texas-based one-man act pushes the dark synthwave genre into new territory, expanding far beyond its retro, nostalgia-fueled base. The beats pound more ferociously, the synths slice deeper, the bass hits harder… everything is completely maxed out, overdriven to the fullest extent. On “Beliar,” one of the album’s heaviest tracks, there are bonafide blast beats, double bass pounding and eerie, haunted house power grooves. “Legion” comes off as a psuedo-doom track, utilizing fuzzed out synths and blood-curdling screams to drag you down into the abyss, while “16 A.M.” straddles the middle line, like a full-speed car chase piloted by the calmest, coolest of experienced captains.

Possessor is out now via Blood Music; pick it up for the price of your choosing at Bandcamp and stream it in full below.